


Fate

by watermelonriddles



Category: Gotham (TV)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-06-27
Updated: 2017-06-27
Packaged: 2018-11-19 19:43:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,073
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11320344
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/watermelonriddles/pseuds/watermelonriddles
Summary: After they unintentionally cross paths far away from Gotham, Barbara and Lee come together and develop a relationship neither of them ever expected.





	Fate

**Author's Note:**

> Set between seasons 2 and 3. It may eventually take place during season 3.

A drink. That’s what Barbara needed. The stronger the better. Although she didn’t regret her decision to hop on a train and leave Gotham for a while, the travel was more than she had anticipated. She was tired and although it wasn’t a desperate need, she certainly wouldn’t say no to a warm shower. It was getting late and she was yet to find somewhere to sleep for the night but the bar caught her eye and she couldn’t resist.

Inside it was much darker than she expected. Half the lighting was broken and what was left was dim. The bar ran along the back of the room, a pool table and darts board to the far right, toilets to the left, and the rest of the space was filled with various tables and chairs. The place was mostly dark wood and peeling wallpaper that might have been a nice beige colour at some point but had been stained various shades of yellow over time. There was music playing, low volume. It was all a curious sight, but it was something else the caught Barbara’s eye.

Sitting at the bar was none other than Lee Thompkins. She was hunched over slightly, nursing her latest drink. Barbara smiled as she wandered closer.

“Fancy seeing you here,” she said, leaning against the bar.

Lee groaned and muttered something under her breath before looking up. “What did I do to deserve this?”

“I’ll have what she’s having,” Barbara said to the bartender before sitting down the stool beside Lee. “I’m assuming that’s not your first.”

“And it won’t be my last.” As the bartender placed Barbara’s drink down, Lee held her glass up which he refilled.

“So what brings you to a place like this?”

“Why?" Lee asked. "What’s so surprising about me being in a place like this?”

Barbara laughed a little as Lee took her glass and almost drank the entire contents in one go. “It doesn’t really seem like your kind of place.”

“Usually no one talks to me,” Lee said, looking sideways at Barbara. “I get to drink in peace.”

“I can tell that’s a hint, but I’m choosing to ignore it.” She winked and finished the last of her drink before turning a smile on the bartender. “What’s your name?”

He smiled wearily at her. “Liam.”

“Well, Liam, my friend and I would like you to keep the drinks coming,” she said. “Every time you notice one of our glasses is empty you fill her right up.”

He responded by filling up their glasses again to which Barbara smiled. As he walked away she turned to Lee, her smile growing.

“I guess you can stick around,” she said, holding her glass up.

“Look at us,” Barbara said as they clinked their glasses together. “Tolerating each other.”

* * *

“Another!” Lee exclaimed as she held her glass up.

Barbara tried not to laugh as Liam approached their end of the bar. She hadn't had very much herself, most of her amusement came from watching Lee and listening to her. When he reached them, Liam placed both hands on the bar and leaned in a little so he could talk quietly to Lee. “I think you might have had enough.” She shook her head defiantly and thrust her glass towards him. “I can’t serve you anymore.”

She pouted a little and tipped her empty glass upside down, looking sadly at Liam when nothing came out. “A little?”

“I can’t,” he said, a little sterner this time.

While Lee looked between Liam and her glass Barbara placed her hand over his. She squeezed it tightly, her nails digging into the back of his hand as she leaned in close. “My friend said she wanted another drink.”

He tried to pull away from her, but the more he tried the more she dug her nails in. “Fine, _fine_ ,” he said. She instantly let go and he pulled his hand away, rubbing the back of it. “One more drink and that’s it.”

“Deal!” Lee said as she slid both their glasses across the bar before turning to Barbara. “You’re not half bad.”

"What happened to the Lee Thompkins who was a pain in the ass and followed all the rules?"

"I left her back in Gotham."

Laughing, Barbara held her glass up. "I'll drink to that."  
  
Lee held her own up for a moment, nodding her head a little before they both drank.

* * *

It took more effort than she expected to get Lee home and Barbara was beginning to regret her act of kindness. First, she had to try and get Lee to give up her address and then there was the fun of getting her into a taxi. A taxi that stopped a couple of streets away from Lee’s apartment and made them get out as soon as she exclaimed that she was going to throw up. The short trek took twice as long as it should have because Lee kept refusing to move. It didn’t help that Barbara spent most of the time trying to carry her bag while holding up Lee who occasionally just wanted to sit on the ground.

Eventually, they made it, and after several minutes of trying to find Lee’s keys, they were inside. Lee stumbled towards her bedroom, stripping down to her underwear, before collapsing face first onto her bed. Barbara rolled her eyes as she dropped her bag by the couch and followed her. She leaned against the doorway frame, smiling at the sight before her.

“It’s so hot,” Lee complained, voice muffled against the pillows.

“Sure is,” Barbara said as she made her way over to the bed and forced Lee to lie on her side. She grabbed the bin from the corner of the room and placed it beside the bed. “In case you throw up, but be warned, if you do, I’m out.”

“Sure,” Lee said sleepily as she patted Barbara’s hand and closed her eyes.

Slowly slipping her hand away, Barbara straightened up. She quietly slipped out of the room, turning the light off but leaving the door open. Kicking off her shoes, she grabbed the blanket off of the back of the couch before laying down on it. For a few moments, she just stared up at the ceiling. It was only when she heard light snoring from the bedroom that she rolled over and closed her eyes.

* * *

It was the loud groan followed by a giant thud and a loud “fuck” that woke Barbara up. She laughed as she sat up and looked over the back of the couch towards the bedroom. When Lee emerged from the room, hair wild, dressing gown not quite tied right, looking like death, Barbara had to bite her lip to stop from laughing anymore.

“Well, look at you.”

“So it wasn’t a nightmare,” Lee said as she wandered in the direction of the kitchen.

“You thought I was a nightmare?” Barbara said, placing her hand over her heart. “I’ll take that as a compliment.”

“I’m sure you will.”

Now that light was streaming through the windows, Barbara was able to see Lee’s apartment properly. Sitting up on the couch she was faced with the front door. To one side of it was a place to hang coats and a table that housed letters and other such things. Below the table were discarded shoes. On the other side of the door was a small bookshelf. The kitchen took up the left side of the room, it was small, not much counter space and was a horrible shade of green. On the right side of the room, up against the wall was a small table with two chairs. Behind the couch was the door to Lee’s bedroom.

Through the open door Barbara could see that’s it was scarcely furnished. Once she was up she wandered towards it. Inside, against the back wall, was a double bed with two bedside tables. On the same wall as the door there was a chest of drawers, and on the wall to right was a door that Barbara assumed led to the bathroom. The bedroom had the same light wooden floors and peeling orange wallpaper as the living room.

“So, how did you end up in a place like this?” Barbara asked as she entered the kitchen area and hoisted herself up to sit on the counter. To her surprise, Lee handed her a mug of coffee.

“The lease was short and the rent was cheap,” Lee explained as she leaned against the counter and held her own mug between her hands. “It’s just a pit stop.”

“Pit stop?”  
  
“I got a job offer in Atlanta,” she said. “I’m debating about going. I don’t feel like doing much of anything lately. Not since Jim, since the baby.”

“I heard,” Barbara said, pushing down the urge to bring up her drinking, curious to know if it was the regular occurance that it seemed to be. “Through the grapevine. I’m sorry.”

All Lee could do was nod, too startled by how genuine it sounded. The pair lapsed into silence then, drinking their coffee. It was an odd sort of comfort, easy. When their mugs emptied they barely shared a word when they decided to cook some breakfast, during which they took turns using the shower. Barbara took it first, much to her relief. It felt good to stand under the spray, even if it wasn't for very long. The idea of using up all the hot water and angering Lee didn't seem too appealing, so it was the main reason she got out as quickly as she did. 

She finished up the food as Lee slipped away to take her own shower. The food was almost finished as Barbara entered the kitchen. A few strips of bacon, an egg, two sausages, a slice of toast, and a small drop of beans. Once both plates were filled and placed on the table she filled their mugs up again with more coffee, all just in time for Lee coming out of the bedroom. They remained silent as they sat across from each other and ate. It was only when their plates were almost empty that they finally spoke.

“How come you left Gotham?” Lee asked, pushing her plate away and picking up her mug.

Barbara shrugged as she leaned back in her seat. “I wanted a break. A lot changed and I realised getting away might do some good.” Lee raised a brow curiously to which Barbara shook her head. “I tried the whole good girl thing again when I got out of Arkham, it didn’t work. I like who I am now.”  
  
“I guess that’s the important thing,” Lee said. “What do you have to go back for?”  
  
“Tabitha.”  
  
“Galavan?”

Barbara nodded before finishing off the last of her coffee. “She’s with that horrible oaf Butch, but I don’t see it lasting.”  
  
“Oh?”

There was a moment before she would respond. There was still some shock between the two of them that they both seemed to be genuinely interested in each other’s lives. Standing up, Barbara collected their dishes and took them over to the sink.  
  
“We’re thinking of opening up a new club,” she said, not wanting to elaborate any further. “So, why haven’t you accepted this new job in Atlanta?”

“After everything that happened, they said I had some time before I had to start.”

“And are you going to do it?” Barbara asked as she rinsed the dishes off.

Lee turned in her seat so that she could sit with her back against the wall. “Why do you care?”

“I don’t, just being nosy.”

When Barbara turned around they shared a smile. It was abundantly clear to both of them that for some odd reason she did care, and Lee cared about what Barbara had to say. Perhaps there was something comforting in the fact that they already expected the worst of each other. Maybe that had been their problem, relying too much on people who did, or should, care about them.

“Where are you going next?”

Leaning against the counter, arms crossed over her chest. “I had no plans.”

“If the couch isn’t an issue you can stay here for a bit," she said, shrugging as she added, "I mean if you need somewhere.”

“Sure,” Barbara said, trying to act like it was no big deal. “I guess the couch will be fine.”


End file.
